Since we were invited to my sister’s for dinner today, I brought the dessert. I had made a pumpkin swirl brownie, which really turned out very well. The brownie was moist and the swirl added just the right amount of flavor. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and voila! A nice addition to a fabulous meal!
Pumpkin Swirl Brownies
Pumpkin Swirl
1 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Brownie
6 oz (1 cup) semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
For pumpkin swirl, stir in cream cheese and sugar. Add pumpkin and beat well. Blend in egg, flour, vanilla, and cinnamon. Set aside.
For best results, prepare brownies by hand, not with an electric mixer. For brownies, place chocolate and butter in a glass bowl and melt in a microwave until soft and easy to stir. Stir in sugar. Stir in vanilla, then eggs one at a time, blending well after each. Sift in flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in gently. Scrape half of the batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Dollop the pumpkin filling onto brownie and dollop remaining brownie batter around pumpkin. Swirl filling with tip of a knife and bake for about 30-35 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Cool at room temperature before slicing.
Makes 16 slices.
Food & Drink AUTUMN 2009
All the activity in my sister’s house revolved around the food. As Jo sliced the deep fried turkey with an electric carving knife, she lopped off the tail end and look at it carefully, saying, “Every time I look at this, I think of Dad.” She laughed. “Remember how I always got the neck and the tail end.”
“The last thing over the fence,” I added as she nibbled at the fatty, crisp skinned “last thing over the fence.”
I declined her offer of a taste and said, “I always got the wings.”
Jo whipped up a piece of the wing, which I immediately scooped out of her hand and began to gnaw.
“Wait!” she said.
“For what?”
“Dinner,” she replied.
I paid her no mind and I continued to indulge in one mouthful after another of the juicy and delicate wing meat. The deep fried skin was crisp and flavorful after being in the peanut oil. Oh, I can feel the fat congealing in my arteries! My God, that is good turkey! Garlic potatoes, honey squash, stuffing, and turkey gravy rounded out the fare. My niece baked a whiskey apple pie. Interesting flavor and definitely a keeper. A piping hot cup of coffee hit the spot after such a wonderful dinner.
The only thing better than all the great food was the wonderful stories of family and events that made us laugh and cry. We talked about mom and dad, grandma and grandpa, the farm and the bar. The time passed way too quickly before it was time to go home. I can’t wait for the next family gathering. I just love the stories.